McDevitt Downs Chambersburg, 32-6

October 14- In a rare Monday afternoon contest, the Bishop McDevitt Crusaders overwhelmed Chambersburg, 32-6, this afternoon at McDevitt Field. The unusual game time, brought on by torrential rains in the Harrisburg area over the weekend, may have contributed to the Crusader's spotty play. Even though the outcome was never in doubt, McDevitt (6-1, 5-1 in Mid Penn Commonwealth) looked uneven on offense, turning the ball over 7 times on 4 fumbles and 3 interceptions. The Crusaders ended up relying on special teams play, led by Vince Beamer, and their ever-improving defense, to put the game away early. After Freshman Tailback LeSean McCoy returned the opening kickoff 19 yards to the McDevitt 26, Quarterback Marcus Stone threw a short out pass to Wide Receiver Mike Gohlston. The lightning-quick Sophomore made 2 quick moves to avoid would-be tacklers, stumbled at midfield, then recovered to sprint to the end zone for a 74 yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. A missed PAT kept the score at 6-0. Chambersburg managed one first down on their first series, then the McDevitt defense forced a punt. The Crusader's next possession ended after 6 plays, when a Stone overthrow was intercepted at the Trojan's 45. The McDevitt "D" held again, and Chambersburg punted from their own 41. Beamer gathered in the punt at his own 16 and, following 2 crushing blocks along the home sideline, streaked 89 yards for the Crusader's first return score of the year. After a failed 2 point conversion the McDevitt lead was 12-9. The Crusader defense set up the next score when, after the Trojans had crossed midfield, Defensive End Jed Baker flattened Chambersburg Quarterback Nate Hockenberry and forced a fumble. Linebacker Doug Ritter, who played an outstanding game, pounced on the loose ball at the McDevitt 48. The elusive Gohlston moved to Tailback on this series, and a mix of runs and passes saw the Crusaders move to the Trojan 19 as the quarter ended.

On the second play of the second quarter, Stone found Beamer on a 19 yard scoring strike to increase the McDevitt advantage to 18-0. After yet another Chambersburg 3-and-out, the Trojans punted to the Crusader 40. This time Beamer fielded the punt, then broke up the middle and made one quick cut to break free. His second punt return for a touchdown, finished off by Pedro Mora's successful PAT, gave McDevitt an insurmountable 25-0 lead with 10:04 left in the half. At this point the Crusaders seemed to lose interest. Their next 3 series end ended in 2 interceptions and a fumble. On defense they surrendered their only scoring drive of the afternoon, as Chambersburg's Brad Mann finished an 8 play, 50 yard drive with a 19 yard touchdown run to narrow the lead to 25-6 as the half ended.

The third quarter saw the Crusader defense rally to produce another turnover, this time on Marc Accorsi's interception at the Trojan 47. Gohlston took over from there, carrying 3 times for 43 yards and finishing off the final Crusader scoring drive with a 26 yard dart through the Chambersburg secondary. Sporting a 32-6 advantage, McDevitt was guilty of shoddy play that carried into the fourth quarter, ending their next 3 possessions on fumbles. The defense played solid, however, led by Linebacker Josh Martinko, Defensive Tackle Uriah Aviles and Cornerback Ryan Williams. McDevitt took possession at their own 14 late in the fourth and finally put together a sustained drive, grinding out 74 yards on 18 plays, led by strong running by McCoy. The game ended with McDevitt running out the clock at the Trojan 12. Unofficially, McDevitt totaled 318 yards and 14 first downs. Stone completed 9 of 18 throws for 157 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Gohlston's 1 catch was for 74 yards and a score. Beamer hauled in 6 passes for 67 yards and a TD. On the ground, Gohlston rushed 15 times for 63, and McCoy added 63 on 12 carries. McDevitt's next game is Saturday, October 19th against archrival Harrisburg. The game, at Harrisburg's Severance Field, begins at 1:00 PM.

Quotes

Head Coach Jeff Weachter

We were sloppy. We turned the ball over, we missed assignments, we weren't ready to play, we were flat, we didn't play with emotion. The defense played well but they could have played a lot better. Football's a tough game to play without any emotion, for whatever reason. I don't know if it was not being outside since Wednesday, or just the extra day, or two days, but we didn't come to play today. We were very sloppy and we were lucky to get out with a win. Sometimes when you score so easy so early like that and you know you're better than the other team you have a tendency to let up. Doug Ritter did a nice job. You know, even before Jesse was hurt Doug was playing a lot at Sam linebacker giving Jesse a rest. Doug's a good football player, he could start on a lot of teams and he stepped up and played well. For Harrisburg, we have to play a lot better than we did today and we have to practice better than we did last week, or our dreams are going to go down the tube. I was not happy with the offensive line play in the first half; I think they thought the game started at 3:30 because, the first half, they didn't block a soul, run or pass. At halftime we challenged them a little bit and they did a little better. I think the passing game, I think that's just a matter of timing because we haven't been outside for a while, that's correctable. But if the line blocks like they did in the second half, like they have all year, hey, Mike Gohlston's a good tailback, and so is LeSean McCoy.

Assistant Coach Shawn Lee

I thought the defense played hard, especially for playing on a sloppy field. We had a lot of pressure on the quarterback. Doug Ritter, especially, stands out in my mind for stepping in for Jesse Pitt. The secondary played real well. Ryan Williams is improving every week. It's good to see Tommy Dunn playing so well after the end of last week. Vince and Marc Accorsi did real well, also. Harrisburg next week?. Well, I'm still black and silver but while I'm up here I'm rooting for McDevitt. I hope we come to play because they always play us tough.

Linebacker Doug Ritter

I’m up for a challenge any time. If anyone goes down, I’ve got to be there and step up my game and do what I can. Our attitude is good, we’re going to be ready every week. With Harrisburg coming up, we can’t take them lightly.

Tackle Quincy Garfield

On defense, we felt we had to pick it up because Jesse wasn’t there. We had a good pass rush. They usually trap a lot, but they were always in long downs so we knew they had to pass. The Harrisburg game is a big rivalry game. I’m very excited for it. 

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